'Not terrible, considering it was her first shot', Kakashi thought to himself after Sakura's first attempt, just able to make out the graze from his location. A small victory was still a victory, yet stopping there was not going to be permitted. Sakura intended to become stronger, confronting the weakness in her body and mind was also a necessity for it. Her mind was poised on success, it was now up to her body to sync up with her mind. A concentrated blast of chakra was quite different from blasting water, not only in preparation but in the use itself. Were they not on a timetable Kakashi would have given her at least a few weeks before she could grasp this technique to a respectable extent, but because of their status as being mission ready he was holding some doubt in his mind. Chakra control and book smarts were her strength, while her physical energy and lack of strong chakra reserves were a blatant weakness. Watching as she took hold of her shooting wrist, Kakashi had to ponder about her request for more information related to the Hozuki clan.
An uncertain hand went to the back of his neck, his exposed Sharingan averted towards the sky. Sakura seemed to confuse his obtaining of one of their abilities as hands-on knowledge surrounding their clan. His record on missions was impressive, though he was anything but a history major. He'd offer what he could to a young, impressionable mind.
"The Hidden Mist had some very capable ninja in their employ, and the Hozuki were just one of the many clans that used to represent the village. In fact, the Second Mizukage happened to be a Hozuki himself." A little fact to insert, as Sakura might enjoy knowing that she was attempting to use a technique that was also used by a Kage once upon a time. He continued. "What I can tell you for certain is that the massacre of the Mist has all but destroyed the original users of this technique. If any are left, I doubt they'd argue against my description of the potential this technique has. In experienced hands it will be a frightening move in your arsenal, but that's only if you acquire the experience of course."
Sakura went on to ask about other techniques centered around the hand placement of this move. The hand idle on his neck came to rest at his side, from there being pocketed. "I don't know of any myself, but I haven't encountered every jutsu there is in the world. There's a possibility someone has a technique quite similar to this one. Maybe you'll find out someday." Before him, even. Kakashi couldn't see himself retiring anytime soon, but Sakura's exploration of all techniques may be a journey that continues well until her final years as an active ninja. In the back of his mind he was contemplating how far her pursuit of knowledge would go. Orochimaru-- no, he shook his head at that and focused on the next shot she would take. It was absolutely ridiculous to imagine Sakura going as far as that mad man, and he'd keep her on a good path that did not demand she walk on the bodies of sacrificed comrades to find her place in the world.
With her next shot taken the Copy Ninja had found her results favorable. Managing to maintain the shot well enough, without being unable to fully penetrate the tree, was progress in itself. She shrugged at her result, bewildering him, before asking him about jutsu combinations as well. Her line of questioning suggested that she would be quite the master of ninjutsu if she continued her training.
"Is it possible? Anything is possible..." He trailed off, reflecting on the attack Orochimaru made against Konoha. Bringing back the spirits of deceased legends, of Hokage long since passed, was made a possibility thanks to Orochimaru's dabbling in a technique deemed forbidden. If Kakashi had not seen it, he might have not believed such a thing were possible, yet the Third had done battle with his predecessors and forced the retreat from Orochimaru at the cost of his life. Sakura, too, could be capable of such a feat. "However," the Copy Ninja returned focus to the present, "if these jutsu do not exist, it can always be you that creates them. Ice Style was a Kekkei Genkai to a clan in the Mist, Haku came from that clan." The wonders of a Kekkei Genkai would never belong to Sakura. She would have the risk of facing them in her lifetime, but never wield one herself. Without this Sharingan Kakashi was like her once, although considered a genius in his generation, something Sakura was not considered. "Someone like you can break the limits of ninjutsu, genjutsu, and even taijutsu if you continue to work hard. There are few limitations that gifted people like you cannot break through. Naruto, Lee, even yourself, your entire generation will see a new breakthrough in how this world is shaped, as long as people like myself do not see the world destroyed due to our own ignorance and paranoia."
Words for her to mull over later. Sakura's delving into crafting her own technique would certainly be a topic of interest later. For now, as she readied her next shot, his hand came to rest on her arm and lightly press downward. That was enough.
"You'll have time to practice again in the future. I think it's time we get started with my next lesson: facing overwhelming odds." He glanced to his left, and right, eyeing his clones that held complete physical similarities to him. "I'm an opponent with triple your experience, arsenal, and combat knowledge. To make matters worse, I hold a Kekkei Genkai that further pushes the gap between us. I'll explain what the Sharingan's capabilities are in full sometime later. Now then," he nodded to the clone to his right, which was Sakura's immediate left, and reached in his pack to retrieve a kunai. Tossing it to the clone, it was caught in its left hand and immediately looked to Sakura. Moments later, it charged.
"Defend yourself!"
The first clone was moving similar to how the original worked and was coming at her with reckless abandon. Pressing the attack to the point Sakura could not possibly stand her ground without being overwhelmed, it was Kakashi who was intending to get Sakura moving. The clone actively assaulting her was using strikes intended to moderately injure her at best; clashing against any weapon she drew with enough speed and technique to make her work twice as hard to maintain her grip, as well as keeping concentration on every other part of his body, it would be made entirely clear that her teacher was not pulling punches in this session. Purposely forcing Sakura to keep focus on that clone would mean that the other two Kakashi's were free to enter the fray at any time, yet with how much of an attack he was putting up with one clone it would be overdoing it to engage her now. Sakura had to survive for at least a minute under these intense circumstances before he would proceed, and his Sharingan eye was not leaving her movements for even a second.
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